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Reginald Owen
Actor

Reginald Owen

4 Aug 1887Born
5 Nov 1972Died
85Age at death
136Credits

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

John Reginald Owen (5 August 1887 – 5 November 1972) was an English character actor. He was known for his many roles in British and American films and later in television programmes. The son of Joseph and Frances Owen, Reginald Owen studied at Sir Herbert Tree's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and made his professional debut in 1905. In 1911, he starred in the original production of Where the Rainbow Ends as Saint George which opened to very good reviews on 21 December 1911. Reginald Owen had a few years earlier met the author Mrs.

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Clifford Mills as a young actor, and it was he who on hearing her idea of a Rainbow Story persuaded her to turn it into a play, and thus "Where the Rainbow Ends" was born.

He went to the United States in 1920 and worked originally on Broadway in New York, but later moved to Hollywood, where he began a lengthy film career. He was always a familiar face in many Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer productions.

Owen is perhaps best known today for his performance as Ebenezer Scrooge in the 1938 film version of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, a role he inherited from Lionel Barrymore, who had played the part of Scrooge on the radio every Christmas for years until Barrymore broke his hip in an accident.

Owen was one of only five actors to play both Sherlock Holmes and his companion Dr Watson (Jeremy Brett played Watson on stage in the United States prior to adopting the mantle of Holmes on British television, Carleton Hobbs played both roles in British radio adaptations while Patrick Macnee played both roles in US television films). Howard Marion-Crawford played Holmes in a radio adaptation of "The Speckled Band" and later played Watson to Ronald Howard’s Holmes in the 1954-55 television series.

Owen first played Watson in the film Sherlock Holmes (1932), and then Holmes himself in A Study in Scarlet (1933). Having played Ebenezer Scrooge, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, Owen has the odd distinction of playing three classic characters of Victorian fiction only to live to see those characters be taken over and personified by other actors, namely Alastair Sim as Scrooge, Basil Rathbone as Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Watson.

Later in his career, Owen appeared opposite James Garner in the television series Maverick in the episodes "The Belcastle Brand" (1957) and "Gun-Shy" (1958) and also guest starred in episodes of the series One Step Beyond and Bewitched. He was featured in the Walt Disney films Mary Poppins (1964) and Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971). He had a small role in the 1962 Irwin Allen production of the Jules Verne novel Five Weeks in a Balloon. In August 1964, his Bel-Air mansion was rented out to the Beatles, who were performing at the Hollywood Bowl, when no hotel would book them.

Known for

Filmography

The 80 most recent of 136 credits.

  1. 1985The Many Faces of Sherlock HolmesFilm: Sherlock Holmes (archive footage)
  2. 1974That's Entertainment!Film: (archive footage) (uncredited)
  3. 1971Bedknobs and BroomsticksFilm: Gen. Teagler
  4. 1970McCloudSeries (1 episode)
  5. 1967Rosie!Film: Patrick
  6. 1965Run for Your LifeSeries: Sir Hillary Cooper (1 episode)
  7. 1964Mary PoppinsFilm: Admiral Boom
  8. 1964BewitchedSeries (2 episodes)
  9. 1964Voice of the HurricaneFilm
  10. 1963The Thrill of It AllFilm: Tom Fraleigh
  11. 1963Tammy and the DoctorFilm: Jason Tripp
  12. 1962Five Weeks in a BalloonFilm: Consul
  13. 1960Moochie of Pop Warner FootballFilm: Mr. Bennett
  14. 1960ThrillerSeries: The Hussar ('A Terribly Strange Bed') (1 episode)
  15. 1959Adventures in ParadiseSeries: Ambrose Feather (1 episode)
  16. 1959Moochie of the Little LeagueFilm: J. Cecil Bennett
  17. 1959One Step BeyondSeries: Herbert Blakely (1 episode)
  18. 1957MaverickSeries: Marquis Norbert Belcastle, Freddie Hawkins (1 episode)
  19. 1954Climax!Series: Doctor (1 episode)
  20. 1954Red GartersFilm: Judge Wallace Winthrop
  21. 1954The Great Diamond RobberyFilm: Bainbridge Gibbons
  22. 1951Grounds for MarriageFilm: Dely Delacorte
  23. 1950KimFilm: Father Victor
  24. 1950The Miniver StoryFilm: Mr. Foley
  25. 1949Challenge to LassieFilm: Sergeant Davie
  26. 1949The Secret GardenFilm: Ben Weatherstaff
  27. 1948Hills of HomeFilm: Hopps
  28. 1948The Three MusketeersFilm: Treville
  29. 1948Julia MisbehavesFilm: Benjy Hawkins
  30. 1948The PirateFilm: The Advocate
  31. 1947If Winter ComesFilm: Mr. Fortune
  32. 1947Thunder in the ValleyFilm: James Moore
  33. 1947Green Dolphin StreetFilm: Captain O'Hara
  34. 1946The Imperfect LadyFilm: Mr. Hopkins
  35. 1946Monsieur BeaucaireFilm: King Louis XV
  36. 1946Piccadilly IncidentFilm: Judge
  37. 1946Cluny BrownFilm: Henry Carmel
  38. 1946The Diary of a ChambermaidFilm: Captain Lanlaire
  39. 1945The Sailor Takes a WifeFilm: Mr. Amboy
  40. 1945Captain KiddFilm: Cary Shadwell
  41. 1945She Went to the RacesFilm: Dr. Pembroke
  42. 1945KittyFilm: Duke of Malmunster
  43. 1945The Valley of DecisionFilm: McCready
  44. 1945National VelvetFilm: Farmer Ede
  45. 1944The Canterville GhostFilm: Lord Canterville
  46. 1943Madame CurieFilm: Dr. Becquerel
  47. 1943Salute to the MarinesFilm: Mr. Henry Casper
  48. 1943Above SuspicionFilm: Dr. Mespelbrunn
  49. 1943Three Hearts for JuliaFilm: John Girard
  50. 1943Assignment in BrittanyFilm: Col. Trane
  51. 1943Forever and a DayFilm: Simpson
  52. 1942Reunion in FranceFilm: Schultz, Gestapo agent
  53. 1942Random HarvestFilm: "Biffer"
  54. 1942White CargoFilm: Skipper of the Congo Queen
  55. 1942Somewhere I'll Find YouFilm: Willie Manning
  56. 1942CairoFilm: Philo Cobson
  57. 1942Pierre of the PlainsFilm: Noah Glenkins
  58. 1942I Married an AngelFilm: 'Whiskers'
  59. 1942Mrs. MiniverFilm: Foley
  60. 1942We Were DancingFilm: Maj. Tyler-Blane
  61. 1942Woman of the YearFilm: Clayton
  62. 1941Tarzan's Secret TreasureFilm: Professor Elliott
  63. 1941Lady Be GoodFilm: Max Milton
  64. 1941Charley's AuntFilm: Mr. Redcliffe
  65. 1941They Met in BombayFilm: General Allen
  66. 1941A Woman's FaceFilm: Bernard Dalvik
  67. 1941Free and EasyFilm: Sir George Kelvin
  68. 1941Blonde InspirationFilm: Reginald Mason
  69. 1940HullabalooFilm: 'Buzz' Foster
  70. 1940FlorianFilm: Emperor Franz Josef
  71. 1940The Ghost Comes HomeFilm: Hemingway
  72. 1940The Earl of ChicagoFilm: Gervase Gonwell
  73. 1939Remember?Film: Mr. Bronson
  74. 1939Bad Little AngelFilm: Edwards, Marvin's Valet
  75. 1939The Real GloryFilm: Capt. Hartley
  76. 1939Bridal SuiteFilm: Sir Horace Bragdon
  77. 1939Hotel ImperialFilm: General Videnko
  78. 1939Fast and LooseFilm: Vincent Charlton
  79. 1938The Girl DownstairsFilm: Charlie Grump
  80. 1938A Christmas CarolFilm: Ebenezer Scrooge

Biography and credits from TMDB. This website uses TMDB and the TMDB APIs but is not endorsed, certified, or otherwise approved by TMDB.